Good news: my blog has been shortlisted in the UK Blog Awards 2015 Young Person Recognition category and Arts and Culture category! This year’s theme is: Be Bold. I think it’s rather fitting that this blog post is on a very bold and pioneering town in Surrey…
Did you know that Godalming was the first town in the world to have its streets lit by electric light?
In 1881 a generator at the leather mill in the town produced enough power to disconnect the gas supply that had until then lit up the streets. Although it had to wait for the rest of the world to catch on, and gas was used again three years later, it established a crucial step in innovating a new form of energy.
The famous gardener Gertrude Jekyll lived at Munstead, just south of Godalming, and there are many beautiful examples of the collaborative work by Jekyll and arts and crafts architect Sir Edwin Lutyens in the streets that surround Godalming.
I visited Godalming town and had a look round the shops and streets.
It’s such a photogenic town with so many independent shops and cafes…
And so very architecturally exciting and historic…
^ Those windows!
It’s the perfect place to visit and to do some Christmas shopping.
If you are planning to go to Godalming and have a bit of extra time to spare, visit Winkworth Arboretum.
This article is fantastic, and brilliant! You took some wonderful pictures, that I am sure only tell a small amount of just how lovely Godalming (how does one pronounce this, please?) is. You’re quite right, there is beautiful architecture in every little nook and cranny, to be sure. Thank you so much for sharing this with the world!
Thank you very much. You just pronounce it how it looks! Godalming is such a great place to go with your camera…